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For residents of Washington, D.C., and the Shenandoah Valley, river tubing around historic Harpers Ferry is a classic summer activity. Tubing in this area runs through both calm river waters and bumpy-but-safe rapids, and offers a cool relief from the heat and humidity of the region's summer climate. As a tuber, you can either go downriver with a whitewater tour operator or buy tubes and chart your own course.

Items you will need

Inner tubes

Safety helmet

Flotation vest

Step 1

Buy inner tubes from an auto parts shop, inflate them at a gas station and jump into the Potomac River or Shenandoah River from a canoe launch or along the C&O; Canal National Park to tube down the river independently. Also purchase a kayaker's helmet and a flotation vest. If you go this route, you will need a friend to pick you up at the landing just southeast of Harpers Ferry, or drop off and chain bicycles at the landing before you start tubing to avoid a long walk back to your car. If you tube independently, skip Step 2.

Step 2

Call the main tubing operators around Harpers Ferry and ask about the water level for their various options. The lower reaches of Antietam Creek, the Potomac River and the Shenandoah River are all options around Harpers Ferry, depending on the tour operator, and one watercourse might have faster or slower rapids on a given day.

Step 3

Rent or buy extra tubes to carry coolers and make a picnic out of it. Both the Shenandoah and the Potomac have a number of sandy areas where tubers can pull out of the river and enjoy a snack on the banks of the river.

Step 4

Look for the big rocks and waterfalls at the end of the journey. East of Harpers Ferry, the Shenandoah flows into the Potomac. Beyond the railroad bridges and on the south side of the river is a collection of rocks where tubers can enjoy the rapids, stop, climb up on the rocks and back to the beginning of the rapids, and get in again. Enjoy this part of the rivers as long as you like.

Step 5

Paddle and kick over to the south bank of the Potomac River after those rapids and rocks. The common landing and extraction point for all of the tubing, and most of the kayaking and rafting on the river, is there.

Step 6

Refresh yourself by getting underneath the cold mountain waterfall that is just to the right of the walkway of the river landing.

Tip

Asking about river conditions is especially important in mid- to late summer. If there has not been much rain during the summer, the river level will be too low for good tubing. You can still go, but your butt will scrape on the rocks frequently as you travel downriver.

Warning

Always wear your helmet and flotation vest while you are in the water. It might seem like overkill, but in the event of an accident, those two items might save your life.

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Images related to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

View of the railroad bridge across the Potomac River at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Abandoned bridge pier in foreground and Maryland Heights in the background. Also visible is the old toilet powder ad painted on the cliffs. Edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Looking eastward from Jefferson Rock, with Harpers Ferry, West Virginia in the foreground. In the distance is the Potomac River bridge, connecting Maryland (left bank) with Virginia along U.S. Highway 340. Jan Kronsell, 2004

Map showing the Potomac River drainage basin.

Built in 1848, this reproduction of the building that became known as John Brown's Fort was originally constructed for use as a guard and fire engine house for the federal Harpers Ferry Armory in Harper's Ferry, then a part of Virginia. (notice the lack of a bell) Photograph by Joy Schoenberger, 2007

The North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac River below w:Seneca Rocks in w:Pendleton County, West Virginia